Napping-machine.



' WITNESSES- H. S. GREENE. NAPPING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED 313.24, 1913.

1,100,558. Patented June 16, 1914.

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H. S GREENE.

HAPPING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED 21:13.24, 1913.

1, 100,558.; X Patented June 16,191L

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HARRY S. GREENE, OF WOONSOCKET, RHODE ISLAND.

NAPPING-MACHINE.

To all whom it may c0ncern Be it known that I, HARRY S. GREENE, citizen of the United States, residing at l Voonsocket, in the county of Providence and State of Rhode Island, have invented new and useful Improvements in Napping- Machines, of which the following is a specification.

My present invention pertains to apparatus for napping fabric, more particularly knit fabric which is elastic in character and is therefore liable to be distorted and unevenly or imperfectly napped in the event that it is subjected during its manipulation incidental to the napping operation to tension other than that necessary to keep the fabric even and fiat, and also in the event that it is permitted to sag.

In order to produce an adequate nap it is almost always necessary to subject fabric more than once to the action of napping means; and toward this end the object of my present invention is to provide means for transferring fabric from one path to a path alongside the first-named path, and this without subjecting the fabric to tension other than tension parallel to its length or at a right angle to its length and without permitting sagging of the fabric; tension on the fabric in any direction beside the directions stated and sagging of the fabric be ing highly ojectionable for the reason before stated. I

My improved apparatus is designed to be used to advantage in transferring fabric that is being napped from one path to a path alongside the previous path, and in some cases the fabric can be passed from an initial path to a second path and from the second path to a third path, and so on; the fabric being made to traverse as many paths as occasion demands.

The transferring apparatus may be used to advantage to pass fabric two or more times through a simple machine equipped with a single napping drum, or a single machine embodying two napping drums, as in my contemporary application filed February 24, 1913, Serial Number 7 50,301, or a single machine embodying napping means other than a drum; the present invention not depending for its utility on any improvement in the napping means, and any napping means may be employed without involving departure from the scope of the present invention as claimed. The trans- Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed February 24, 19-13.

Patented J une 16,1914.

Serial No. 750,302.

ferring apparatus can also be used to advan tage in the passing of fabric one or a plurality of times through one machine, and in the transmission of the fabric to a machine alongside the first mentioned machine for passage therethrough. This latter is particularly advantageous in the napping of blanket or other fabrics which are so wide that it is not practical to operate machines wide enough to receive at one time more than one or two widths of the same. The transfer apparatus can further be used to advantage in transferring fabric from one path to another for any purpose that may arise, either in connection with the napping of the fabric or for any other purpose.

WVith the foregoing in mind, the invention will be fully understood from the following description and claim when the same are read in connection with the drawings, accompanying and forming part of this specification, in which:

Figure 1 is an end elevation, diagrammatic in character, showing the arrangement of my novel transfer means relative to a napplng machine having one or more napping drums or napping means of any other description. Fig. 2 is a similar plan of the same. Fig. 3 is a diagrammatic plan view illustrating the application of my novel transfer means for transferring fabric from one to another of a series of three napping machines. Fig. 4;. is a detail perspective showing the transferring means.

Referring by numeral to. said drawings, and more particularly to Figs. 1 and 2 thereof: 1, l, are the frame sides of a napping machine, and 2 is the napping means thereof, which means, as before intimated, may be a conventional napping drum, as shown, a plurality of drums, or napping machinery of any other description without affecting my present invention.

In furtherance of my present invention, I provide spaced transverse bars 70 between the upper portions of the frame sides 1 and at points intermediate rolls 40 and 11; and I also provide fabric guides and transferrers 71, 72. These latter may be rods, as shown, rolls, or other devices suitable to the purpose, and by reference to Fig. 2, it will he observed that the guides or transferrers are disposed at acute angles to the cross-bars 70, and also that the intermediate guides and transferrers 72 are in pairs.

When a strip of fabric is to be passed but twice through the machine shown, only two of the guides 71 need be employed; also, that by employing the guides shown, a strip of fabric may be passed through the machine four times, or, on the other hand, two strips of fabric may be simultaneously passed and repassed through the machine.

In the practical use of the transferring means shown, the strip of fabric after being first sujected to the action of the napping means, is carried over and under the first guide 71z'Q 6., the guide 71 nearest the righthand side of the machine, looking forward or toward the front or entrance end of the machine, and the said guide 71 being at an angle to the course of the fabric will cause the fabric to take a course approximately at a right angle to its initial path. The fabric is then carried under and over the adj a cent guide 72, and then forward over the roll 41 and then down and again through the machine to be acted on the second time by the napping means. When the fabric again arrives at the guide means (see b) it passes over and under the third guide 7 2 toward the left, and then under and over the fourth guide 7 2 toward the left, and then forward over the roll 41 to be again passed through the machine, and so on until the completely napped fabric passes or is conducted from the machine.

In the modification shown in Fig. 3, a single guide or transferrer 71 is employed in vertical alinement with the napping machine shown at the right, guides or transferrers 72 are employed in vertical alinement with the intermediate napping machine, and a single guide or transferrer 71 is employed in. vertical alinement with the napping machine at the left. Each of the said machines is-pnovided withv napping means which may be a conventional napping drum 2, as

shown, or napping means of any other description. In this application of my invention,.the fabric-as it comes from the napping means of the machine at the right is carried over and under-the guide or transferrer 71 and is thereby transferred to a course at approximate right angles to itsoriginal path. It thenpasses under and, over the guide and transferrer 72*, after which it is carried through the second machine. As it comes from the second. machine, as indicated by 5 the fabric is passed over and under the guide and transferrer 72 at the left. It then is carried in a course at approximate right angles to its path through the intermediate machine, and is then passed under and over. 0., around, the guide and transferrer 71 at the left, after which it is carried through the machine at the left and so on.

In all of the applications of my novel.

any time, so that any portion thereof is pendcut, or in other words, disposed vertically or near the vertical. This will be appreciated as an important advantage when it is stated that particularly when the fabric is of the knitted type the placing of a portion of the fabric with one edge up and one edge down is highly objectionable, because it causes the fabric to sag and stretch and get out of shape. It will also be manifest that in all of the applications of my novel transferring means, the fabric is at no time subjected to any tension other than the tension parallel to the length of the fabric and at right angles to the length, necessary to keep the fabric even and flat. Particularly when the fabric is of knitted character the avoidance of sagging of the fabric and imposition of tension on the fabric except parallel to the length of the fabric and at right angles to said. length, prevents distortion of the fabric and in that way assures uniform and adequate napping of the fabric.

Having described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

The combination. of napping means, a

fixed guide disposed at an acute angle to a path of fabric through napping means to cause the fabric to pass in a transverse course at an angle to said path, a fixed guide disposed at an. acute angle to another path of fabric through napping means to cause fabric to pass from the transverse course to such other path, a third fixed guide arranged adjacent and parallel to the second-named. guide to cause fabric to pass in a transverse course at an angle to said second-named path, and a fourth fixed guide disposed at an acute angle to a third path of fabric through napping means to cause fabric to pass from the second-named transverse course to said third path.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

HARRY S. GREENE. l/Vitnesses:

FRANCES L. CoYLE, PETER J. COTE.

Gogiessotthis/patent may be obtained forfive cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents.

' Washington, D. G. 

